CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A disabled veteran who earned a Purple Heart and was wounded in service to our country is reaching out to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers for help resolving a nearly $1500 power bill.
"It's just stress. It’s a strain on you," Victor Chavis said. "$1497.87. I had no way of paying this whatsoever.”
Chavis said he is so stressed about the bill and its due date that the situation was keeping him awake at night.
“I already have PTSD. At night, I say, 'What am I going to do?'” said Chavis, who contacted CBS 6 Problem Solvers when he said he had no luck getting on Dominion Energy’s Budget Program because he hadn’t lived in his home for a year.
Victor Chavis
Chavis said he tried a few times to get Dominion Energy to come out to his South Chesterfield home to investigate his meter.
“They said they had nobody and my bill had to be paid by Feb. 7th or the electricity would be cut off," Chavis lamented. "I’m on oxygen. I have an oxygen machine and I use it when I sleep.”
Chavis' bill
A Dominion Energy spokesperson explained that they are reminding customers that because of brutal weather in January, the coldest on record, the company hit an energy record and some customers’ bills doubled.
However, Dominion Energy officials said there is help, especially for customers with medical issues like Chavis. They can offer payment plans, payment extensions and an Energy Share program that can help with weatherization and bill payments.
Chavis said he is grateful that the organization Virginia Veteran and Family Support has since stepped in to help with a portion of his bill.
Dominion Energy has also put him on a payment plan and reassured him that he is not in jeopardy of being disconnected.
If you need help, call 211 for information about the Energy Share program. You can also click here for information and resources to help deal with your power bill problems.
CBS 6 News is working for you. Click here to email a tip to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers. Be sure to leave us your name, phone number and detailed description of the problem. You can also leave a message by calling 804-254-3672.
